Just Helpin' A Friend
by CharmingLittleRuby
Summary: Steve is confused with his feelings for Sharon. Good thing Natasha's there to help him sort it out... Read on to find out how Natasha helps Steve impress Sharon—not saying that Steve's gonna like it. (This has got to be the worst summary I made. I promise the story's waaaaaay better) (And oh, this is Romanogers, not to be confused with Staron (no way, Jose) :p)
1. Chapter 1: She's Back

**[EDIT: I edited some stuff here along with Chapter 2 to make it better. Since some edits are a bit major, I decided to let you know]**

 **Hello people. I know I'm still working on like two stories (although one of them is on a hiatus), but I can't help but write a Romanogers fic cause' I ship it way too damn hard.**

 **So the idea for this came from a friend of mine's dream (the happens-in-my-sleep kind of dream, not the I-want-this-to-happen-someday kind of dream). It had an interesting story. The characters were my only problem cause', fyi, it's not a Romanogers dream. And I'm not gonna waste my time telling you who the characters were in the dream. So I decided to, I don't know, turn that dream into a Romanogers fan fiction.**

 **And yes, Sharon is a main character here. I just didn't add her cause' apparently, she ain't an Avengers character, but rather a Captain America one. And I labeled this story as Avengers, so yeah. And I'm not making sense again, am I? Whatever.**

 **Ok I'll stop ranting. Here goes nothing...**

* * *

 _Punch. Punch. Punch._ Each punch became stronger and stronger as Steve thought harder. _Punch. Punch. Punch._ How is she? _Punch. Punch. Punch._ Where was she? _Punch. Punch. Punch._ Why wasn't she with him? _Punch. Punch. Punch._ 'She' kept running in Steve's mind. Ever since she helped him, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Whether she was okay, where she was, or if he should've brought her with him. But he was, yet again, too late. He couldn't bring her to his hiding place now that he can't be seen in public anymore.

Currently, Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Scott were living in a safe house in Wakanda under the protection of King T'Challa. Steve has ever since been grateful of the good king, because even though they had both been on opposite sides during the Accords situation, T'Challa was still king enough to help him. Meanwhile, Clint returned to his family and moved to a more secure spot. And as for Bucky, he decided to freeze himself to sleep so he won't cause any harm. Steve respected his decision, but still missed him. Just as he had gotten his best friend back, he goes back to sleep for what seems like eternity.

 _PUNCH. PUNCH. PUNCH._ Steve had forgotten to control his punches, causing the the punching bag to almost fly away, similar to what happened when he first got out of the ice. Fortunately, the punching bag was still in place.

"STEVEEEEEE! DINNER'S READYYYY!" Sam called from the kitchen. Steve sighed. He guessed he had enough training for today. He unwrapped the white wrapping around both of his hands and proceeded to the dining room, sweaty and all.

Steve was the last one to arrive at the dining room, where everyone else was waiting for him. "Hey Ste- _woah, woah, woah,_ mister! Do you really think I'm gonna let you lay those sweaty hands on _my_ precious lasagna?!" Sam forbid. Everyone knew Sam could be overprotective of his stuff, but they were a bit surprised to see him like this with his homemade food.

"Go wash your hands, young mister!" he commanded, causing Scott and Wanda to stifle a snicker.

Steve rolled his eyes and did as told.

"Now can I eat, Gollum?" Steve asked in a teasing manner, as he dried his hands. "Sure," Sam finally gave in, but then he paused. "Wait, since when have you watched Lord of the Rings?" he asked slowly.

Scott raised his hand awkwardly. "I, um, made him watch the trilogy last week. It was the least I can do for _Captain America_." Scott slowly admitted as Steve took the seat in between Wanda and Scott.

"It was an interesting movie. But I prefer Star Wars." Steve said, glancing at Wanda as if wanting to see her reaction. She made a huge smile. Before she became an Avenger and moved to America, Wanda hated the influences of the Western world, but had found a liking for Star Wars. Now, she was the biggest Star Wars fan among the Avengers—new and old (she was also pretty thrilled when she accompanied Steve and Vision when they watched for the first time).

"Ok, let's eat. I'm dying to taste the deliciousness of the lasagna," Sam exclaimed, licking his lips. "And I suppose you're saying this because _you_ made it?" Wanda questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really, maybe, sorta, yes," Sam answered, embarrassed. Everyone laughed like they were in one of those comedy sitcom thingies. "Just as I thought," Wanda smirked once the laughter died out.

They eventually started eating, satisfying Sam as expected. They were all sharing stories to each other, laughing, blushing, and defending. They always did this, even back at the Avengers Facility. Steve reminisced the fun they had during dinner with Rhodey, Vision, and Natasha. Oh, how Steve missed the good, ol' days. And how he missed-

 _BEEEEEEEP_. It came from his pocket. He reached for the beeping item and felt it vibrating. It was his phone. He got it out and read the message and who sent it.

It was from Natasha:

 ** _'Meet me at the garden of your safe house ;)'_**

Steve was left in shock. Natasha, the person he's been texting for 6 months with no replies, just texted him out of nowhere, letting him know that she wants to _meet_ him?! Wait, Natasha knew where he was?! He wasn't too surprised, though. I mean, this _is_ Natasha whom we're talking about.

"Um, guys. I'm gonna go somewhere." he excused himself, getting up.

Sam frowned. "Don't you like my lasagna? You only had, like, _5_ servings of it."

"Sam, 'somewhere' is where you and me go to to dispose, you know, _'Number 2'_." Wanda whispered to Sam, but it was audible to Steve and made him roll his eyes in return.

"No, Wanda, I'm not going to the bathroom. I'm gonna, uh, get some fresh air."

"Yeah. Some fresh _toilet_ air." Scott joined in the teasing. The three laughed. Steve just left them alone and went to the garden. He was quite eager to see her. But also nervous. Was he wearing the right attire? Was his hair fixed? Keep yourself together, Rogers. It's not like your going on a date with her or something. Natasha was _just_ a  friend. _A very close one._

The garden was located at the back of the house and was big and simply enchanting. It housed all types of plants, native to Wakanda or not. Steve liked hanging out here. Whether he was sparring with Sam, giving advice to Scott, or meditating with Wanda.

He looked around the garden, with the moon as the only source of light, in search for Natasha. But he couldn't find her. _Dang_ , she was really good at hiding.

"Give up finding me, Rogers?" came a familiar voice from one of the tall trees. Steve turned his head to see who it was. The figure emerged from the darkness and revealed herself to be...

"Natasha? Is it really you?" Steve cautiously asked, unsure if he was hallucinating or not. She was wearing some black jeans and a matching black top, covered by that green jacket he bought for her many moons ago.

"Why don't you give me a hug and find out." she suggested with her usual sass, opening her arms (lucky for Steve, he was the only one whom Natasha allowed to hug her, other than Barton and his family, of course). He gave her a big hug, careful not to squish her. She hugged him back.

"Where the hell have you been? I've missed you." Steve murmured under her soft, strawberry-scented hair.

Natasha pulled out of the hug. "Hiding, too. Not staying in one place for too long," she explained shortly, shrugging afterwards like it's no big deal.

"Are you okay?"

"Geez, Steve. No need to go check on me. I'm not your girlfriend or anything," Natasha teased, slightly hurting Steve although he didn't show it.

"Speaking of girlfriends, how's Sharon?" she asked as she leaned closer to Steve, wriggling her eyebrows.

Steve didn't exactly like this topic for one; he can't confirm whether he and Sharon's a thing, for he fears that he'd say something wrong. And two; Natasha pretty much ships Steve with any girl she sees and tries to set him up with that girl. Steve would always decline.

"We haven't communicated since the Airport Battle." Steve informed with a straight face. He remembered her bringing his and Sam's gears... And then locking lips with her...

"Come on. Why won't you make another move? You guys met lips already. You seriously need to start dating. She's the best girl I found for you so far." Natasha protested as she put her hands on her hips. Steve noticed her fiery red hair glow just a tad bit, like flames— _the beautiful kind._

Steve didn't really buy the idea of dating Sharon. _Heck_ , he didn't really like the idea of dating at all. Although it must've seemed nice to have a date, but perhaps with someone he's known... Longer.

"Not now. Maybe next time." he said, shoving his hands on the pockets of his pants.

"Fine. I'm not gonna force you," she finally acknowledged. "but tell me when you're ready, kay?" she added, playfully nudging his arm with her elbow. Steve rolled his eyes, but smiled and nodded.

The night was clearly beautiful. The stars were starting to shine, and the moon was just as bright. Steve forgot just how beautiful the night could be. He guessed the stress from the Accords made him forget. Or maybe Natasha being here made the night so special, he didn't really know.

"Oh yeah. I'll be right back," Natasha remembered, going back to the dark spot she came from. She came back, carrying a big box of stuff. She rummaged through it with one hand and pulled out a smaller box.

"For you," she gave it to Steve with her trademark smirk. Steve got it and opened it. Inside where some of the things he loved but weren't able to retrieve before running away.

His sketchbook and pencils, his color pencils, his watercolors, his favorite sweater, the locket with his mother's picture in it, the compass with Peggy's picture in it, a picture frame with a picture of him and the original Avengers, another frame with him and the new Avengers, an unframed picture of Bucky and him at his old neighborhood in Brooklyn, and a photo album with more photos. He noticed most of these were pictures. Not many knew, but Steve's favorite past time was taking photos (and of course, Natasha knew about that very well). He frowned when he didn't see the unframed picture of Natasha and him he took during a mission when they were partners (not that they aren't anymore) in the box.

"Nat, I don't know what to say..." he murmured, still staring at the box.

"You can start with a thank you." she joked.

"Thanks, Nat. I mean it."

The spy smiled. "Let's go inside. These other stuff are for the others."

"Okay." Steve, being the gentleman he was, carried the stuff for Nat. But she, too, had her share of kindness by opening the door for him.

Wanda was the first to notice her presence. "Natasha! It's you!" Wanda exclaimed, getting up of the couch, putting down the magazine she's been reading. She ran to give her a hug. Natasha and Wanda had shared a close bond, being the only females in the team.

"Natasha?!" Sam echoed from the kitchen, nearly dropping the plate he was washing.

"What is she doing here?! Is she gonna put us in jail?!" Scott questioned, suspicious. He was still at the dining room, eating a donut for dessert.

"I've been running away from the government, too, _FYI_. And I'm here to stay," Natasha claimed. Now even Steve was surprised. She was gonna stay?! She turned to face Steve. "You know, if you'll allow me."

"Of course I'd allow you to stay! We just need King T'Challa's-"

"Permission? Done." she interrupted.

Steve looked at the others. "Well, what do you guys think?" he ask, wanting to hear their opinions.

"Yeah, sure."

"Fine by me."

"I'd be happy if she stays."

The soldier looked at the spy again. "Then, welcome to our house, Nat." Steve officially welcomed, fighting the urge to hug her in front of the others. They'd obviously tease him to death—especially Sam.

Natasha gave him another smirk. "In honor of my moving in, I shall shower you with gifts." Natasha announced, giving each one of them a small box similar to Steve's. They were all pleased by the little stuff each one of them got. Wanda was reading the letter Vision made with mixed emotions, Sam was already using his favorite mug again, and even Scott was smiling at the drawing of Ant-man his daughter, Cassie, made.

Steve noticed there was one last box in their. "Who's this for?" he asked Natasha.

"For that Bucky friend of yours. Where is he, anyway?"

Steve stayed silent for a moment. "He's... _Frozen_ ," he whispered sadly.

Natasha realized what he meant. "Oh..." She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"No need to be," he assured, giving her a small smile to let her know it's okay.

"So, um, do you have a spare room?" Natasha asked, changing the topic. Realization hit Steve. They didn't have any spare rooms. Not even one.

"Not exactly." Steve confessed, scratching the back of his head. That was it. "But we do have a spare bed in my room." Natasha made a face. Oh no. Natasha was gonna move away again. And Steve's heartbreak-like-thing will come back.

Natasha faked gasped. "Steve, is that you?! I thought you don't allow yourself to sleep in the same room with women you're not in a relationship with!"

Steve rolled his eyes, his tomato-red face quite obvious. "Actually, my rule is I don't allow women to sleep in the same bed as me."

"I'm kidding, Rogers. If it's for the greater good, then I'll do it."

Steve half-smiled. But in the inside, he was really happy. His best friend—even greater than Sam—was here. With him. Safe.

* * *

"Steve? You still awake?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Steve, it's freakin' 1:32 in the morning. Why are you still awake, young man?!" she jokingly asked.

"Nat, I think the question here is why are you awake?" he asked back.

"I... Can't sleep with all the nightmares I've been having..." she slowly confessed.

Steve stood up from his bed and went to Nat's bed, lying down beside her casually. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Natasha snuggled in.

"Now could you sleep?" Steve asked softly.

"Mm-hmm," she mumbled, drifting off to a more peaceful slumber.

* * *

 **And this is just the beginning... Sorry if this chapter's too short. I really wanted to post this, so it was kinda rushed. So sorry for that.**

 **I'mma go now. G'NIGHT (OR G'MORNING, WHEREVER YOU ARE)**

 **Ruby out. PEACE.**


	2. Chapter 2: Texting 101

**[EDIT: I edited some stuff here along with Chapter 1 to make it better. Since some edits are a bit major, I decided to let you know]**

 **Hello, lovely people reading this. Splendid day to post a story, now isn't it? Lol. Anyhoo, I need to make a few notes.**

 **First of all, I may have accidentally labeled this story as Filipino story. So if you caught that mistake, I'm sorry. I was rushing. It's been edited now and marked as English (Duh. I mean, this ain't a story in German, now is it?)**

 **Secondly, PLEASE GO TO MY BIO AND VOTE ON THE FREAKIN POLL THERE! (Just when you taught I was so posh and all when it comes to my A/Ns :p)**

 **Lastly, pleaseeeeeee check out my friend, maria_the_cow12480's, stories in Wattpad (she's desperate for views. Lol, idk if she is, but I'm desperate for views on this story). One of which is a collab with yours truly. Lol, collab. That sounds professional af.**

 **Too much nonsense, you're complaining? I'll stop then and let you read. This one should be longer than the first chapter, so yeah. Here it goesssss:**

* * *

 _One of Steve's favorite things to do was take morning strolls at parks. Especially Central Park. He liked how nature-y it looked and how peaceful it was. He was taking another simple walk there (despite being an outlaw) after a long week of useless training, when he bumped into a familiar face._

 _"Hey Steve. Remember me?" she asked in an angel-like voice._

 _"Sharon?" Steve assumed it was her, given that her hair was blonde._

 _Sharon laugh. "Finally, you didn't call me neighbor for once!"_

 _Steve laughed along. "So how's life ever since the, um, Sokovian Accords thing?"_

 _Sharon shrugged. "Still working for the CIA. It's pretty 'eh' compared to S.H.I.E.L.D. How bout' you?"_

 _"I've been a bit... Busy." he replied casually._

 _"Wanna grab a bite? I passed by a I Ice Cream stall over there," Sharon pointed at the direction of the said Ice Cream stall._

 _"Sure. But I'll pay," he said, reaching for his pocket on his jogging pants._

 _"You're quite more gentlemanly than other men I've met." Sharon seemingly flirted._

 _Steve responded with a smile as they walked towards the stall._

 _The sooner he knew it, his simple, morning walk in the park turned into a hang-out with Sharon (not a date. Just a hang-out)._

 _Their final stop was at some new Italian restaurant in the park. Steve admitted, this was quite romantic. He wasn't sure if that was good thing or a bad thing, though._

 _"I never knew you were both a gentleman and a fun guy all at once, Steve," Sharon gushed as she reminisced what happened earlier._

 _"Nah, it was nothing," he claimed humbly._

 _"But I've never had much fun since I was a kid! This is most definitely something!"_

 _Steve smiled. Sharon was pretty nice, he figured. So much more than a neighbor._

"Steve,"

 _"Here's your order, mam, sir." the waiter with an unusually long mustache said, placing a plate of spaghetti on the middle of Steve and Sharon's table._

"Steve..."

 _"I'm so happy I got to spend a day with you, Sharon." Steve said sincerely as he placed his hand on top of hers._

 _"Same here." Sharon agreed, smiling._

 _Steve tried to move closer to Sharon, his instincts told him to do so. They were only inches away when-_

"STEVEEEEEEEE!"

Steve sat up abruptly, startled by the sound of his name.

"Finally, you got up, sleepyhead" a woman who didn't sound—or look—like Sharon said in a teasing voice.

Once Steve's foggy vision cleared, he turned to his side to find Natasha on the same bed as him. Steve was frightened to see this at first, but then remembered that it was his idea that he'd sleep with her.

"Breakfast is waiting for us. Hopefully, it wasn't made by Sam." Natasha informed, getting off the bed. She was wearing a grey tank top and matching leggings. As for Steve, he was wearing a white undershirt and pajamas.

"Nat, I had this dream..." Steve began slowly as he got out of bed too.

"Congratulations." Natasha congratulated rather sarcastically, opening Steve's closet.

"But it wasn't just any dream. It was a dream about Sharon,"

Natasha looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "And you're telling me this because...?"

Steve took a deep breath. "Because I need help in communicating with her. Like, in real life."

Natasha stared at him with big eyes and a dropped jaw. Then her lips formed into a smile. "Steve, are you telling me you want to ask her out?"

" _No_. I'm just asking you to help me text her, that's all."

Natasha grinned even wider, having not really payed attention to Steve's reply. "You finally admitted you have feelings for her! I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed as she grabbed a random, blue shirt in the closet. She threw it at Steve. "Put this on. I'll help you compose a _'greetings'_ text after breakfast."

Steve nodded and put the shirt over his undershirt and put on his blue slippers. He opened the door and let Natasha out first. He soon followed afterwards.

"Good morning, lovebirds!" Sam greeted, not looking up his newspaper.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Sam, for the nth time, we're _not_ dating." she stated clearly.

Sam didn't seem convinced. "Then why were you sleeping in his bedroom?"

"Cause' I had no other choice?" Natasha answered matter-of-factly.

"Hello? There's a _couch_ at the living room?"

"Whatever, Sam," Natasha quickly dismissed.

Wanda walked up to them with two plates of some fresh Wakandan berries pancakes. "Good morning." she greeted as she handed them the two plates.

"Did you make these?" Steve asked politely, getting ahold of one plate. Natasha did the sam with the other.

"Yup. If it were made by Sam, he'd be bragging his head off," Wanda joked.

"I heard that!" Sam called out from his seat on the dining room.

"Well, _it_ is true," Scott stated as he got his third serving of pancakes.

"I thought we were friends, Scott!"

"Just sayin'!" Scott shot his hands up as if to say he's innocent.

Steve sat beside Sam, Natasha taking the seat beside Steve. Wanda, too, sat down with her own plate of pancakes.

Steve pierced his fork onto a pancake and shoved it whole into his mouth. And just as he swallowed it, Sam made a cheeky grin, put down his fork, and opened his mouth. "So, Steve, how's your love life?" Sam randomly asked, knowing it will make Steve uncomfortable with Natasha around. Natasha gave him a knowing smirk.

"Sam," Steve sighed. "I am not dating anyone,"

"Yet," Natasha added, pouring maple syrup on her pancakes. "Steve wants to start a relationship with Sharon."

Everyone gasped. "No! I just need your help on communicating with her." Steve corrected defending-ly.

"Well, that's what it sounded like," Natasha said, smirking even more. Steve just gave a sheepish smile in reply.

"Well, if you're happy with her, go for it." Scott encouraged.

"Yeah. Just don't use those cheesy pick-up lines from the Internet. They never work. Trust me, no man who's said those type of lines to me ever managed to meet me at a restaurant." Wanda advised, half-teasingly and half-serious.

Sam just nodded slowly.

"Can we, um, talk about something else?" Steve requested awkwardly.

" _Steve, Steve, Steve._ Oh, I wonder how you'll ever survive your love life. If only you were like me; comfortable around women." Sam teased, patting Steve's back.

"You used to stay at least 3 meters away because you were nervous around me and thought I was _'pretty hot'_ back when we first arrived at the new Avengers Facility." Wanda reminded.

It was Sam's turn to give a sheepish smile.

* * *

Steve had been staring at his phone while he was seated on his bed for about 5 minutes. He was at the messaging app and Sharon's name appeared on the topmost of the screen.

"Are you done composing a message, or what?" Natasha asked from the desk while typing something in her laptop, breaking the silence.

"Uh..."

"You didn't type anything, did you?"

"Maybe...?" Steve said slowly, carefully.

Natasha shut down her laptop and went to Steve's bed to sit beside him.

"When was the last time you guys texted each other?"

"Before the Airport Battle"

Natasha nodded. "When was the last time you actually talked to each other?"

"Also before the Airport Battle."

Natasha sighed. Then she put it to thought. "Start your text with something..." She paused as if to find the right term. "Simple. Not too long, so that you won't sound desperate."

Steve's fingers quickly moved as he typed something on the screen.

Natasha looked at it:

 ** _'hey Sharon. Remember me?'_**

"Uh... Try something like..." Natasha got the phone and typed something.

 ** _'hey Sharon. It's me, Steve'_**

"Good enough." Steve agreed, pressing the send button. Then he got second thoughts. He was starting to sweat bullets once the message was officially sent. What was she gonna say?

"And now, we wait." Natasha said.

"How will we do that?" Steve asked absent-mindly.

"By continuing life." Natasha stood up and went back to the desk that her laptop was on.

Before Steve stood up to do whatever he was gonna do, his phone vibrated. He picked up and saw what was on the screen.

 ** _'hi Steve. Long time no talk'_**

 _Gasp_. It was a message from Sharon. _She replied!_

"Nat! Sharon replied!" Steve exclaimed, raising his phone in the air.

"She what?!" Natasha turned her head as Steve lowered the phone for her to read. Natasha smiled widely and got up her seat.

"Text back!" Natasha urged.

"What do I type?!" He asked.

"Start a convo or something."

Steve's fingers typed something quickly again as he thought up something.

 ** _'how's life?'_**

Natasha gave a thumbs-up, signaling that she approved. So Steve pressed the send button again and waited for her reply with Natasha as they still stood up.

 _ **'eh. How are you?'**_ was Sharon's reply.

Steve looked at Natasha. She shook her head, took a step backwards, and pointed fingers at him with her palm facing upwards. "Now this is where _you_ start to take full control." Steve stared at her for a moment, unsure. Natasha gave him an encouraging smile. How could he do this on his own? What if he messed up? Steve sighed and began typing again.

 ** _Steve: I'm... Eh, too_**

 ** _Sharon: lol. So why do you suddenly text me after 6 months of not communicating?_**

 ** _Steve: Idk. I just wanted to, I guess_**

 ** _Sharon: wow, you're doing better with your shortcuts since I last texted you_**

 ** _Steve: I got some tips_**

 ** _Sharon: from Natasha, I suppose?_**

 ** _Steve: from Sam, too. But you taught me 'lol', so I should give you credit_**

 ** _Sharon: :D_**

 ** _Steve: sooooo..._**

 ** _Sharon: I'm eating ice cream now. Just wanted to share_**

 ** _Steve: okay, now you're making me hungry_**

 ** _Sharon: I'm surprised you didn't think of that as weird_**

 ** _Steve: ice cream? Weird? Never_**

 ** _Sharon: lol, ikr. And did I mention that I'm watching a JB concert_**

 ** _Steve: you like him?_**

 ** _Sharon: nope. Just accompanying my fellow agent friends_**

 ** _Steve: I wish you the best surviving that concert_**

 ** _Sharon: haha, thanks :p_**

 ** _Steve: :p :p :p_**

 ** _Sharon: gtg, my friends want me to come up stage (idk how)_**

 ** _Steve: ok. Bye, ttyl_**

 ** _Sharon: now that's a first_**

 ** _Steve: ?_**

 ** _Sharon: seeing you use the term ttyl_**

 ** _Steve: -_-_**

 ** _Sharon: and that emoji's a first too! :p_**

End of convo. Steve looked at Natasha, who was still eagerly standing up.

"So... How do you feel?" Natasha asked interested.

"Well, the chat took a good turn. Short, but good."

Natasha smiled. "Well this is how all good relationships start," she gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Good job, Steve." she congratulated.

Steve smiled back. "Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Aw, _pssh,_ " Natasha disagreed.

Steve put it to thought. Maybe Sharon wasn't so bad after all.

"STEVE! NAT! HELP! WANDA'S TRYING TO MURDER ME!" Sam suddenly exclaimed, running through the hallway of Steve's room.

"HE WON'T STOP SAYING I HAVE A CRUSH ON VISION!" Wanda explained angrily, throwing random stuff at Sam with her powers as she ran after him.

"Is this normal?" Natasha asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Yup. Sam never stops." Steve sighed as he rubbed his temples, exasperated.

"Just like the days in the tower," Natasha reminisced.

Steve nodded in agreement before stepping out of his room to stop this fiasco.

* * *

Natasha splashed her face with water. It was exactly 12:00 midnight. She stared at her wet face through the bathroom mirror.

She remembered Steve telling her about his dream of Sharon he had the night before. She had a dream, too, that same night. It was about her taking a walk in the park with some mysterious guy (it was a good dream, before it went to a bad turn by becoming a nightmare Natasha doesn't want to remember). Quite similar to Steve's dream, she thought. And just earlier, she had another dream (she's been having a lot of dreams/nightmares lately). This time, it was a memory of Steve and her. They were at that escalator, coming out from an Apple store.

 _"Kiss me." Natasha ordered quickly, facing Steve_

 _Steve looked at her with disgust in his face. "What?"_

 _Natasha didn't have time for this. Rumlow was gonna kill them anytime now. "Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable."_

 _"Yes, they do." Steve agreed._

 _And then, left with no choice, Natasha pulls Steve towards her and they both lock lips._

Natasha shook her head. She can't be confused by a dream when she doesn't even remember the last time she didn't understand a mission. That's plain dumb. But she _was_ confused. Why did this become her dream? What did this mean? Did _Steve_ have something to do with this?

 _No_. It can't be. Did she—she couldn't even bear to imagine it. Steve likes Sharon, and that's that. She didn't want to interfere with something that made Steve happy. That's why Natasha was here. She wanted to make Steve happy after the stress with the Accords. Not for the sake of her own happiness (even though that tiny voice in her head said that's the real reason she's here), but for the sake of her friend's happiness.

Natasha took a deep breath, opened the bathroom door, and went back to bed.

She stared at Steve. He was soundly asleep. Her gut was kicking her and telling her not to do it, but she ignored it. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and gave a small kiss on his cheek. She didn't know why she did that, perhaps it was an instinct. She lied down and went back to sleep.

* * *

 **OKAY THERE IT GOES. Now I know I sorta promised you a longer chapter, but it still isn't the desired length I want. Boohoo.**

 **Oh well. You'll get there soon, Ruby, I know it.**

 **Also, that little Natasha bit at the end. I added it cause' one; I wanted this story to be freakin' longer, and two; because I'm hinting how Natasha feels.**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna try to make Chapter 3 today and post it tonight. Keyword: try. And maybe, just maybe, I'll post Chapter 5 at my other story, The Disk and the Sword.**

 **And for those JB fans who got offended by Steve and Sharon's text conversation, I'm really, really sorry. I don't hate JB, actually. His songs these days are fab. I could edit that part of the convo if you're really offended. Just tell me and I'll do it ;) (and if you're wondering why I'm not doing it now instead, it's because I'm too eager to post this :p)**

 **I guess that's it.**

 **RUBY OUT. PEACE!**


	3. Chapter 3: Cake Bosses (ft Phone Calls)

**Hola, amigas! After two chapters of focus on Steve, would you like to see how Natasha views this? You do? Great! Lol, this is why I want to see an interactive Marvel movie.**

 **I recently watched "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children". Idk what the other people think about the movie, but I liked it. It's sooooooooooo fabulous (but "The Winter Soldier" is still the best movie evah. Well, one of).**

 **LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Anyhoo, anyhow, this chapter is the first ever to be typed on computer (I do most of my typing on my phone, so yeah, that's a fun fact).**

 **I guess that's all I have to say. But before we begin, I have a friendly reminder I forgot to add in the first two chapters …**

 **[I DO NOT OWN MARVEL AND ITS CHARACTERS. DISNEY DOES. DAMMIT, DISNEY, YOU OWN EVERYTHING. NOW I WANNA WORK FOR DISNEY. LOL, JK. I'D RATHER WORK FOR MCDONALD'S.]**

* * *

Natasha knew a lot about love

From fun and harmless shipping (ex: Tony x Bruce), to actual matchmaking (ex. Clint and Laura), some would say she was a master at these sort of things, despite her infamous quote.

One day, Natasha noticed how Steve struggled to fit in with his new surroundings. She actually pitied the poor guy. So she befriended him, thinking it might help him get over his past. He improved a lot in getting over the past, but he still had nightmares about Bucky or Peggy occasionally. Natasha thought befriending him wasn't enough. So she went back to matchmaking and started giving Steve dates. He went to a total of 13 dates with 13 different women before he started declining Natasha's suggestions, traumatized by how terrible each date went. But Natasha wasn't ready to give up just yet. She knew there was a girl that would make Steve completely happy. That's when Sharon, disguised as some girl named Kate, moved in near Steve's apartment. Natasha knew she was perfect. The fact that she was an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent appeased her more. This was why Natasha was so intrigued with Steve's love life. He may think it was annoying, but she just wants him to be happy. And why didn't Natasha consider herself, you ask? That's because Natasha, a very flawed woman, thinks she can't simply date-or even fall in love-with a perfect guy like Steve.

Natasha shook of the many thoughts in her head and glanced at Steve, who was currently engrossed with his phone. She, on the other hand, was searching for cake recipes in the Internet (she was really bored and wanted to put her culinary skills to use. And also, WiFi in Wakanda was good).

"Nat, what does _'XOXO'_ mean?" Steve asked, breaking the silence.

Natasha saved a seemingly good recipe she found and shut down her laptop, walking towards his bed afterwards. "Hugs and kisses. Why?"

Steve showed her the conversation he'd been having with Sharon.

 ** _Sharon: good morning, Steve_**

 ** _Steve: morning. How was the concert?_**

 ** _Sharon: I've seen better_**

 ** _Steve: haha. Hey, do you know the song "Closer"?_**

 ** _Sharon: who doesn't? It plays in the radio every 5 minutes like ugh_**

 ** _Steve: exactly what I was thinking, except I see it on TV rather than hear it on the radio_**

 ** _Sharon: the songs these days are just 'bleh'. Come on, gimme the oldies! Like Elvis, or the Beatles._**

 ** _Steve: even though I'm practically way older than Elvis, I enjoy hearing his songs_**

 ** _Sharon: I never knew._**

 ** _Sharon: oh, my boss just texted me. Needs me in a meeting. Gtg. XOXO_**

"Ohhhhhh," Natasha chorused understandingly. _"Ohhhhhh,"_ she repeated, but in an _'I get it'_ tone.

"What's with the _'Ohs'_?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

Natasha smirked. "You do know people say _'XOXO'_ to people them love, right?"

"I don't know" Steve shrugged, not getting it.

"Basically, what I'm trying to say is Sharon _likes_ you." Natasha stated.

"No, she doesn't. Not in that way, at least. We're just friends." Steve denied.

"That's what they all say." Natasha argued back with a smirk.

Despite sounding happy with this, Natasha felt a bit of a pang in her stomach. Something in her head told her it was jealousy, but another part of her head wanted her to think that it was just a sign that she probably ate too much for lunch. Since jealousy _(unfortunately)_ seemed to fit the puzzle, Natasha tried to shake off the thought.

"Now that Sharon can't talk to me till' her meeting's done, I guess I have nothing to do but maybe train some more," Steve sighed, standing up from his bed.

Natasha said nothing in protest, walking back to the desk. She opened her laptop again and read the recipe she saved earlier. It was a 'Triple-Chocolate Cake with Icing and Crushed Oreos on top'. Natasha was trying to hold back a drool. It looked so delicious. Maybe she could give this a try. She printed the recipe and headed over to the kitchen.

All she needed was: **flour, sugar, eggs, butter, corn syrup, vegetable oil, Oreos, icing, and of course, white, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate.**

Fortunately, the kitchen had everything she needed. She placed them all on the counter and began adding said recipes in the bowl one by one when needed.

A couple of minutes later, Natasha soon realized that expectations weren't always reality. The _'adding, mixing, repeat'_ soon started to get boring. Natasha stifled a yawn as she added another tablespoon of oil. _Ugh_ , she wanted- _needed_ -to kick things up a notch. Soon, a mischievous grin crept up her face as she caught sight of something in an open cabinet.

She grabbed it and placed who-knows-how-many grains of _salt_ in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Next, she saw one whole apple in a fruit basket King T'Challa recently sent them. Soon enough, the apple, and a couple of other unnecessary ingredients were found in the bowl. Her hands were getting messy, the ponytail on her head was starting to come off, and she was actually enjoying what she was doing.

"Natasha! What the hell are you doing?!" someone's voice suddenly asked from beside the entrance to the kitchen. Natasha turned her head to see who it was (not that she didn't _know_ who it was).

"Oh hey, Steve. I'm just baking a cake." Natasha responded casually, like the whole kitchen wasn't a mess. Steve walked closer to the counter and inspected the bowl of ingredients. She moved to the side so that he could see it fully. He looked at it in surprise.

"So you're telling me an apple, three loaves of bread, colored sprinkles, plenty of ice, 5 frozen pepperoni pieces, leftover lasagna, and soy sauce are _cake_ material?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You forgot the salt," Natasha added, making Steve's face even more disgusted.

 _"Salt?!_ Oh my shorts, Nat…" Steve made a disapproving look and made his way to the fridge. _Seriously, did Steve have to ruin the fun?! Also, why was he at the fridge?_ Natasha rolled her eyes as Steve opened the fridge and got something out of it. It appeared to be a white box.

"You forgot to put this week-old donut in, too." Steve smirked, opening the box to reveal the said donut. Natasha was caught surprised for a second, but she recovered with a smirk similar to Steve's. _Phew, he wasn't gonna scold her and stuff (like he even had the guts to do that)._

Soon, more stuff were put in the bowl, thanks to Steve. And he, too, ended up messy. When the bowl was starting to overflow, they both decided it was time to put it in a tray and then the oven, which was previously pre-heated by Natasha.

"Never in my life have I had this much fun in baking," Steve said, leaning against the counter once the 'cake batter' was in the oven.

"You should thank me, since I'm the one who brought you into this." Natasha claimed, leaning against the counter, too.

"If I recall correctly, _I_ am the one who brought myself into this." Steve remembered jokingly.

"Fine, you win." Natasha admitted, rolling her eyes playfully. _Why was she acting like this? Why was she acting so… childish? Dang it, Steve, always the one to make her feel things she hasn't felt before._

"We better clean this place up." Steve said, breaking Natasha out of her train of thoughts.

"Yeah. Although, I like it better this way," she joked.

"But I don't. It makes me cringe."

"You and I really do think differently."

"That's what makes us close."

"I thought what makes us close is the fact that I'm fun to be with."

"Say's who?"

"Me? Duh."

Steve smirked. "I'll go get the mop." He said, leaving the kitchen.

Natasha smiled back. Hold on, was she just _flirting_ with him?! I mean, yeah, she likes to flirt, since most of her friends are dudes. But her flirting seemed _different_ around Steve. She felt weird and giddy and comfortable at the same time. _Stop thinking craziness, brain! You're gonna make me think I have some weird disorder or something._ Apparently, most people didn't think of it as a _'disorder'_ , but rather, a cr-… _'c'_ word. _SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!_

"Nat, Sharon texted me again!" Steve informed, his phone on one hand, two mops on the other.

' _ **hey Steve. Guess who's back?'**_

Natasha sighed. "Steve, you've been communicating to her via text for almost a week now." She stated.

"Yeah, so…"

"I think you're ready to start communicating with her… through _phone calls_." She said. Steve gulped.

"You sure, Nat? It's been months since we've heard each other's voices…"

"And it's been months since you've actually _communicated_. Until you" she pressed his chest with her index finger for exaggeration "texted her randomly a few days ago." Steve looked at her, perplexed. "What I'm trying to say is you could do it, Steve. I trust you not to mess up." Natasha smiled genuinely. The words _"I trust you"_ kept replaying in her head. He was the first person she actually trusted who trusted her back, other than Clint, of course.

"So, am I gonna do it now?" Steve asked.

"Hmmm… Do you want to?" Natasha asked back, giving him a choice.

Steve thought for a moment. He shook his head. "Maybe later." He decided. He then tossed a mop he's been holding to Natasha. "Let's clean this place first." He said.

"Oh yeah. Forgot about that." Natasha commented, starting to mop the floor. After some mopping, scrubbing, wiping, and a little bit of a soap fight, the place was finally spink and spank.

 _DING_. The oven dinged as if on time. The cake was ready to be taken out. Natasha quickly grabbed two pairs of mittens, tossing the other one to Steve. They both put it on, giving each other a simple nod before opening the oven door together. The surprisingly sweet aroma of their cake filled the air.

"On the count of three, we'll pull this out together." Natasha instructed.

"Uh, is this necessary?" Steve questioned.

"Do it for the sake of our friendship!"

"Alright."

"Three… two… one." And then they pulled it out at the same time, placing it on the now-clean counter.

Natasha took a sniff of it again. After a few sniffs, she realized there was a hint of apple in the scent. "Aaah. Smell's good…" she gushed, clasping her hands together. The cake looked like what a Triple-Chocolate Cake is supposed to look like, brown, moist-y, and chocolate-y, except it was a bit more, er, colorful at the sides (probably the doing of the sprinkles). "Let's see if it tastes just as good-"

" _Woah, woah, woah_ , Nat. Let's wait for it to cool." Steve stopped, placing his arm in front of the spy.

"Fiiiiine." Natasha gave-in, crossing her arms playfully. "In the meantime, why not you try calling Sharon." She suggested.

"Um, okay…" he looked hesitant for a moment, but then grabbed his phone anyway, dialing her number (which he memorized).

He put the phone on his ear. _Ring. Ring. Ring._ He put the phone to the side a bit. "Oh well. I guess she ain't picking up. Better luck next-"

 _"Hello? Steve?"_ came a voice from the other end, startling Steve for a moment.

"Um, hey Sharon." Steve greeted awkwardly, shoving his free hand into his pocket.

 _"Why'd ya call all of a sudden?"_ she questioned.

Steve sweat ws starting to becom visible. "I wanted to give it a try. See if it's better than texting."

 _"Okay…"_

He looked at Natasha for a moment, feeling really, really awkward. She gave him a half-smirk, half-smile in return. Fortunately, she was able to hear their conversation due to her enhanced hearing ability.

"So how'd your meeting go."

 _"My boss found some rumors about me helping you, a wanted 'criminal'. I declined everything. He said if h finds out the truth, he'll report the police on me and then I'll become a wanted person too…"_ she slowly trailed off.

"Oh, Sharon, I'm so sorry…" Steve apologized.

 _"It's okay. I'm the one who decided to help you in the first place."_ She accepted, probably shrugging it off.

"Uh, okay… I think I have to go now. Bye."

 _"Already? Okay, bye."_

Steve hung-up, putting his phone in his pocket. Natasha frowned. "Did you _really_ have to hang up so soon?"

"I was feeling awkward. And sweaty." He tried to reason, scratching the back of his neck.

Natasha chuckled, directing her attention back to the cake. "Can I try it now?" she asked, changing topic.

"Alright. Just don't blame me when you get a minor burn."

"Yeah, yeah." Natasha got two plates, two forks, and a knife from the drawer, giving a plate and fork to Steve. She did the honors of slicing the first piece of cake, placing it onto her plate. Steve did the same. She pierced half of the cake slice she got into the mouth, whereas Steve just got a small part. They both chewed it slowly. Natasha's face became unreadable as she stopped chewing.

They both tried so hard to smile, but they ended up looking like they were gonna vomit. _"BLECH!"_ they both exclaimed, spitting out the piece of cake from their mouth.

"I guess I should've stuck to the recipe." Natasha commented, getting the water pitcher from the fridge and pouring it onto a glass she got from the drawer.

"At least we had fun making it, right?" Steve reminded, getting the pitcher after she was done.

"Fair point." Natasha agreed, finishing the water in her glass with one gulp. "But what are we gonna do with it, now that we both know it tastes like _hell?_ " she asked, putting the empty glass on the sink.

Steve stayed silent for a moment. Then he made a smirk.

"What?" Natasha asked, confused.

"The _others_ don't have to know it tastes like hell, right?" Steve began, slowly.

Natasha finally understood what he meant, mirroring his smirk. She picked up the tray where the cake was on, heading towards the fridge. "Yeah… So, I'm just gonna casually transfer this cake on a bigger plate and place it in the fridge. I mean, it _does_ look tasty." Natasha did as said, high-fiving Steve afterwards.

Thankfully, Sam arrived when it looked like they didn't do any cooking, besides the fact that their outfits made them look like they lived in a pigpen.

"Okay, why do you guys look like you came from a pigpen?!" Sam asked rudely, getting something from the cabinet.

"We have our… reasons." Steve stifled a snort, giving Natasha a knowing look.

"Whatever. You guys seriously need to start dating." Sam told them bluntly, receiving a punch on the arm from Natasha.

"YEOUCH! What was that for?!" Sam yelped, rubbing the part that got punched as it started turning red.

"For not shutting that big mouth of yours." Natasha answered, making her way out of the kitchen. "Come on, Steve."

The soldier chuckled, exiting the kitchen alongside Natasha. Sam rolled his eyes and continued doing what he was gonna do.

"Phew! Thank glob you didn't mess up with your terrible lying skills." Natasha complimented once they were in their room.

"Yeah right, Nat." Steve muttered, sitting down on his bed.

Natasha smiled. She couldn't wait to see the other's try their delicious cake…

 _"BLECH!"_ Sam, Wanda, and Scott exclaimed in unison, spitting out the piece of cake that was once in their mouth. Steve chuckled silently, only to be kicked on the leg by Natasha under the table to shut him up.

"This tastes _terrible! UGH!_ Who the hell put this in the fridge?!" Sam exclaimed, sticking his tongue out.

"I saw Scott put it in last night." Natasha lied, successfully holding back the laughter that was stuck in her throat. Everyone turned to Scott.

"What the heck?! I didn't put _that_ in their! I swear!" Scott denied, raising his hands to prove he's innocent.

"Shame on you, _Scott Lang_." Sam muttered, giving him the stink eye.

"You do _not_ wanna feel the consequence of what you've done…" Wanda warned, a touch of red glistening in her eyes.

"I'm not lying, guys! I didn't place the cake!" Scott defended again, receiving an even dirtier glare from Sam and Wanda.

Steve and Natasha excused themselves as the others continued to argue. Once they were outside at the garden, they laughed like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh my glob! Did you see how terrified Scott looked?!" Steve laughed, holding his stomach.

"Duh! Man, if we were still there by now, we would've been caught!" Natasha confessed, also holding her stomach.

 _BEEP, BEEP, BEEBEEBEEP._ Steve reached onto his pocket, figuring it was a call from his phone. He checked the caller ID.

"It's Sharon." He announced.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Pick it up." Natasha urged.

Steve sighed and pressed the _'answer'_ button.

"Um, hello?"

 _"Hi."_ She greeted awkwardly.

"What's up?"

 _"Just wanted to continue our earlier conversation. I figured you'd be ready by now." Sharon explained. "You are ready now, right?"_ she slowly added.

"Oh yeah. I'm ready now."

Sharon laughed from the other end. _"So what did you have for dinner?"_ she asked, attempting to start a less-awkward conversation.

"Spaghetti and meatballs. You?"

 _"Just took out from McDonald's"_

"McDonald's, eh?"

 _"Not exactly the best choice, but I was really hungry and was too lazy to cook."_

"I know how that feels."

 _"I don't know why, but I'm pretty surprised."_

"To what? Find out that Captain America actually starves?"

 _"Probably…"_

Steve chuckled, letting her know that he waszn't really offended. She laughed along.

 _"I miss you."_ She blurted out.

"Same here."

 _"Hey, do you have Skype?"_ She asked.

"Nope." He replied. "Why?"

 _"Download it. Then maybe I could see your face again."_ She suggested.

"Sure…"

 _"SHUT UP, ROSE!"_ she suddenly shouted, startling Steve. _"Sorry. My friends are here, at my apartment, and won't stop goofing around."_

"Don't worry. _Someone_ over here won't stop making _kissy faces_!" Steve told her, giving Natasha a pointed look, which the spy responded with a smirk.

 _"Haha. I gotta go. Or else my_ friends _won't shut up."_

"Okay, bye."

 _DOOT_. Sharon had already hung-up. Steve put his phone back into his pocket with a smile.

"That was still short." Natasha commented, crossing her arms.

"At least it was less awkward." Steve defended.

"I'll give you that. I expect it longer next time." Natasha said, smiling afterwards.

"Yes, ma'am." Steve mocked salute. Natasha chuckled, mock saluting him back.

"Let's get back in." Steve suggested.

"Yeah."

And they went back in, arms linked.

* * *

Natasha got up at exactly 6:00 in the morning. She slowly exited the bedroom, careful not to wake up the still-asleep Steve.

She went straight to the kitchen to make her coffee. Suddenly…

 _DING DONG._

Someone rang the doorbell. _Oh no_. Who could be outside?

Natasha grabbed a knife, the only weapon she could grab at short notice and slowly made her way to the door. She carefully opened it, raising her knife and-

"Good morning, Natasha." The person at the door greeted.

Natasha's shoulders relaxed once she realized who it was. "Oh, hello, your majesty." She greeted back, bowing in front of King T'Challa and putting the knife behind her.

He was holding a box in his hands, which got Natasha curious.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Oh, it's a surprise…" the King replied mysteriously.

"YAS! IT'S HERE!?" Sam suddenly exclaimed, joining in the scene. "Oh, um, I mean, good morning, your highness." He quickly corrected, bowing too.

"Here you go." King T'Challa handed over the box to an excited Sam. "I better get going. I've got a lot to do today. Enjoy your surprise." King T'Challa explained shortly.

"Okay. Thanks." Sam thanked as both him and Natasha bowed again. Then he left.

"Wait, do you know this _surprise_?" Natasha asked.

"Not exactly…" Sam replied, kneeling down so that the box could stand on the floor.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. Sam slowly opened the box and found…

* * *

 **SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! This chapter is more than 3,000 words! YASSSSSSSSSS.**

 **I shall celebrate with chips: the best comfort food.**

 **Anyway, I decided to end this chapter with a cliffhanger cause' why not. Ehehehehehehe. I'm evil, I know.**

 **Lastly, I re-watched "The Winter Soldier" again, and wanted to share that I've noticed Natasha keeps pairing Steve up with girls. Which is another thing that got me inspired to write this story. You know, to explore the thing of Natasha more.**

 **I guess my work here's done.**

 **RUBY OUT. PEACE.**


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